KENTUCKY (8/24/13) - Here is a beautiful poem that I came across. The author of this poem goes by the name "Sissy" (that is all the information that I could find about the author). Thought it was so lovely that I had to share it with you. I will be doing a series on this poem, giving you some more insights on the rich truths that it brings.

I’ve Learned

I've learned that we don't have to change friends, if we understand that friends change.I've learned that something that you do in an instant, can give you heartache for life.I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words, it may be the last time you see them.I've learned that either you control your attitude, or it controls you.I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and still have a good time.I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you are down will be the ones who help you get up.I've learned that sometimes when I am angry, I have the right to be angry; but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them too, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you learned from them and less to do with how many years you have lived.I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.I've learned that just because two people argue, doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.I've learned that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret, it may change your life forever.I've learned that sometimes the people that you love most in life are taken from you too soon.I've learned that you can't make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved, and the rest is up to them.I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and just seconds to destroy it.I've learned that it's not what you have in life, but who you have that counts.I've learned that you can keep going, long after you think you can't.I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.I've learned that even when you feel you have no more to give, a friend cries out and you find the strength to help.I've learned that our backgrounds and circumstances may have influenced our lives, but we are responsible for who we become.

So much truth in these words! I want to talk about one of these truths that the poem shared today, a truth that took me many years to understand:

I’ve learned that you can’t make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved, and the rest is up to them.

For many years I tried to make everybody (family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, etc.) that I associated with love me. I would try to be the person that others wanted me to be or thought I should be. Do you know what that did to me? It made me loose me. After many years of doing this, I had no idea who I was. What did I like? What kind of personality did I really have? What did I believe in? What did I stand for? I honestly had no clue. Being in that state that I, alone, put myself into was utterly sad. It took a good amount of time to be able to answer all of those above questions.

I said all that to say this:1. You should never feel you have to compromise who you are in order for someone to “love” you. That is NEVER true love; and2. It shouldn’t be that hard to be liked or to have a friend. In other words, friendship or love never comes at that high of a price.

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